My Summer Associate Experience in Boston - Chris R.

Currently, I am an Associate in L.E.K. Consulting’s Boston office, but before starting full time I interned between my junior and senior year at Boston College in 2011. I had minimal exposure to the consulting world before that summer and would have been quite nervous had it not been for L.E.K’s expectations. They did not seem to be looking for an undergrad who had all the necessary skills for the job (probably because he or she didn’t exist). All they seemed to require was the willingness to think critically and to be challenged day in and day out. In return, they offered the exposure to many different business problems and the ability to develop some of those necessary skills. I thought this was more than fair so I dove in, excited for my internship.

The first week of my nine week summer at L.E.K. was devoted to training. I really appreciated that L.E.K. was willing to make this investment. It provided an introduction to the firm and familiarized me with how things were done so I would be ready for the ever-looming “real” start date. More importantly it made me realize that L.E.K. and all of the people there legitimately wanted me to succeed.

After a great first week of training, I couldn’t have been more excited for my first case. I wasn’t disappointed. The case team, full of seasoned L.E.K.ers, operated like a well-oiled machine. I was amazed by their analysis and ability to drive the case team towards a solution. My role involved assisting with the interview campaign, performing a variety of secondary research and putting together a WACC (Weight Average Cost of Capital) calculation with the help of my previous finance courses.

My second case granted me more responsibility. I ran the primary interview campaign, which involved sourcing, scheduling and interviewing a variety of people, and then consolidating all of the information to present to the team. It was not as easy as it initially sounded or as the Associate from my previous case had made it look. But, with the help of multiple L.E.K.ers who were genuinely happy to help, I navigated around quite a few roadblocks.

The casework was great because it gave me a glimpse into my potential professional life, but the activities outside of my casework during that summer were just as valuable. Bowling night, the summer outing to a Boston Harbor Island and informal outings with L.E.K.ers after work confirmed exactly what I had thought at the beginning of the summer, L.E.K. was the place where I wanted to start my career. So, in the end when I received my full-time offer at the end of the summer, it was an easy decision to accept it.